Method for converting valves

ABSTRACT

A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING A VALVE USED IN TAPPING FLUID FROM KEGS FROM ONE HAVING TAPPING PORT ON ITS END WALL TO ONE HAVING AN EXTENDING MEMBER WITH A TAPPING PORT THEREIN AND A WASHOUT PASSAGE IN THE END WALL BY ATTACHING AN INSERT PIECE WITH THE WASHOUT PASSAGE THEREIN AND A VALVE MEMBER HAVING AN EXTENDING PORTION TO THE BODY OF THE ORIGINAL VALVE.

March 16, 1971 R E DOREMUS ET AL 3,570,091

METHOD FOR CONVERTING VALVES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 26. 196E Min -k I u. n w

INVENTORS March 16 1971 R. E. DOREMUS ETAL Filed Des. 26. 1968 METHOD FOR CONVERTING VALVES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS B. ELLSWORTH DOREMUS RICHARD E. DO EMUS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,570,091 METHOD FOR CONVERTING VALVES Richard E. Doremus, Washington Valley, and R Ellsworth Doremus, Clifton, N.J., assignors to Golden Gate Manufacturing Company, Delawanna, NJ. Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 669,111, Sept. 20, 1967. This application Dec. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 787,133

Int. Cl. B21d 53/00; B211; 29/00; B22g 15/26 U.S. Cl. 29--157.1 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and apparatus for converting a valve used in tapping fluid from kegs from one having a tapping port on its end wall to one having an extending member with a tapping port therein and a washout passage in the end wall by attaching an insert piece with the washout passage therein and a valve member having an extending portion to the body of the original valve.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 669,111, filed Sept. 20, 1967, entitled Method and Apparatus for Converting Valves, which is assigned to the same assignee.

In our prior Pat. No. 2,992,654, which is assigned to the same assignee, a valve is disclosed which has particular utility in tapping fluids, such as beer, from a keg. The valve of that patent has a single tapping port in its end wall which is opened and closed by a rotatable, disc type, valve member. It is usually located at the bottom of the keg and the fluid is withdrawn through it by pressurizing the keg, usually through another valve of the same general type.

There have recently come into greater use valves which are capable of drawing more beverage from the keg. These valves have a valve member with a portion which extends beyond the confines of the body and has a tapping passage therein. Since the extending portion protrudes further down into the keg, more of the beverage can be withdrawn. As is known, valves with such extending portions are also usually provided with an arrangement for washing out the passage of the extending portion when the valve is closed. Several forms of washout configurations are disclosed in the prior Pat. No. 3,115,149 to Tonna et al. and in our co-pending applications 'Ser. Nos. 545,364 and 603,519, these applications being assigned to the same assignee.

Valves with extending portions cost substantially more to manufacture than a prior art valve of the type shown in our aforesaid patent where no such extending portion is used. A large part of the cost, however, is not in making the valve member with the extending portion but in forming the body and providing it with a washout arrangement. Because of the cost factor it would of course be desirable, if it is more economical, to convert valves Without extending portions into valves having such extending portions. The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for accomplishing this.

In accordance with our invention an insert piece having a washout passage is attached to the top of the original valve body and a valve member having an extending portion is fastened for rotation thereto.

The insert pieces are of a configuration to provide the necessary functions of tapping the fluid and valve washout and they can be attached to the body of the original valve in one of several ways. In one way, the end wall of the original valve body is cut oif and the insert piece is attached by a metal joining process to the side wall of the body. In another way the end wall of the body is left on the valve, although a portion thereof may be cut or ground ice oif, and the insert piece is attached directly to the end wall. The latter can be accomplished either by welding or some other suitable metal joining technique or by the use of an adhesive.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for converting valves to have an extending portion and a washout passage.

A further object is to provide a method for converting valves having a tapping port on the end wall of the body to a valve having an extending portion, which is used for the tapping port, and a washout passage in the body.

An additional object is to provide an insert piece having a tapping port and washout passage which is used for converting valves.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification and annexed drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a converted valve;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view taken in section of an assembled converted valve;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the prior art valve which has been cut away to receive the insert member;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views of the valve of FIG. 2 taken along lines 44 and 55, respectively;

FIG. '6 is a perspective view of a portion of a prior art valve to be converted;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational exploded view showing another type of insert piece and method for converting the valve; and

FIG. 8 is a top cross-sectional view of the valve of FIG. 7 taken in cross-section through a position the same as lines 44 of FIG. 2.

Referring first to FIG. 6, a prior art valve 1 having a body 10 is shown. The body 1 has a flange 12 which fits within a fixture on the keg (not shown) with which the valve is to be used. The valve 1 has a valve member 14 fastened to the circular upper wall which has a port 15. A sealing disc 16 is located between the valve member 14 and the end wall of the valve body. This sealing disc may be of Teflon and it is secured to the valve member for rotation therewith, preferably in accordance with our aforesaid patent. As shown, the valve 1 has only a single tapping port 18 which lies within the confines of the valve body. Thus, only fluid above the level of the port 18 in the keg can be extracted. Port 18 is opened and closed as the valve member 14 is rotated by a suitable tapping device which is inserted within the valve body from the outside of the keg.

In accordance with the subject invention the original, prior art valve 1 of FIG. 6 is to be converted into a valve having a valve member with an extended tapping portion, and a passage for washing out this extending portion when the valve is closed. One such type of valve is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein the valve member is designated as 40, the extended tapping portion of the valve member as 44 and the washout passage as 30.

One method for converting the prior art valve 1 of FIG. 1 is illustrated in FIGS. 2L5. Here, as a first step, the end wall of the valve 1 in which the port 18- is formed is removed at points 20-20 leaving only the valve side wall and exposing the interior of the body, as shown in FIG. 3. This is accomplished by any suitable cutting member such as a saw, grinding wheel, etc.

After the end wall is removed an insert piece 24 is attached to the side wall at the open end of the body 10 at the point 20 such as by welding, soldering, etc. This is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2 where the welding or solder fillet is indicated at 26. The insert piece 24 is of generally circular shape with a diameter approximately equal to that of the body at point 20 and has a central opening 27 through which passes a headed bolt 29. Bolt 29 has a pair of opposing flats 29a.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4 the insert piece 24 has an arcuate washout passage or slot 30 formed therein between its top and bottom walls and a drain hole 32 in the top wall which communicates with slot 30. An elliptically shaped tapping port 34 is also formed through the insert piece 24 and, as shown in FIG. 4, a depressed track 36 is provided around a portion of its periphery. The top wall of the insert piece is otherwise smooth to provide a bearing surface for the sealing disc of the valve member. The purpose of the track 36 is described in greater detail below. Insert piece 24 can be made by any suitable process, such as by casting it with the various passages 27, and 34 and track 36. Alternatively, the piece can be cast with passages 27 and 34 and track 36 and the washout passage 30 cut or milled into it. This can be done before or after the insert piece is attached to the body.

To complete the conversion a valve member 40 is provided which has an extending tapping portion 42 with a passage 44 therethrough which communicates with a right angle outlet 46. A sealing disc 50, preferably of Teflon, is also provided which has ribs 52 thereon which interlock with corresponding grooves 41 in the bottom wall of the valve member 40. This interlocking arrangement is described in detail in our aforesaid patent.

The valve member 40 and the disc 50 are positioned so that an outlet port 56 on the disc is aligned with the outlet passage 46 of the valve member. The threaded end 62 of bolt 29 passes through the aperture 27 of the insert piece and central apertures and 55 in the valve member 40 and sealing disc 50. A washer 63 is positioned between the head of the bolt 29 and a boss 28 the inner face of the insert piece 24. A packing washer 65 is provided between the sealing disc and the valve member 40, this washer 6S resting in an annular depression 47 in the inner face of the wall of the valve member and a similar depression (not shown) in the sealing disc. The assembly is completed by a packing washer 66a which fits within a raised boss 66 on the outer face of the valve member, two washers '67 and 68 and a pair of nuts 69 and 70. The nuts 69 and 70 are tightened down to secure the desired pressure between the valve member 40 and the end wall 25.

A downwardly extending post 43, which rides in the track 36 of the valve body insert piece 24, is also provided on the valve member 40. The sealing disc 50 has a peripheral cutout portion 57 to accommodate the post 43, this cutout portion 57 corresponding to a similar peripheral cutout 48 on the valve member. The sealing disc 50 rotates with the valve member 40.

In operation, with the valve assembled as shown in FIG. 2, a tapping faucet is moved into the valve body to engage the head of the bolt 29. When the valve member 40 is rotated by the bolt 29 to the open position shown in FIG. 2 the outlet passage 46 of the valve member, and the corresponding passage 56 of the sealing disc which is aligned therewith, are brought into alignment with the tapping port 34 of the insert piece 24. When the valve member is rotated by about 90 to the closed position outlet passage 46 of the extending portion 42 is brought into alignment with the drain hole 32 so that any cleaning fluid pumped into the keg enters the passage 44 and drains out through the hole 32 and the washout passage 30'.

It should be apparent from considering FIG. 4 that the post 43 on the valve member and track 36 on the insert piece cooperate to prevent the valve member 40 from being assembled to the body in an improper position. That is, the valve member 40 cannot be installed 180 turned from the position shown. Therefore, the outlet passage 46 is always aligned with the outlet port 34 when the valve is open. The post and track also limit the turning of the valve member to approximately 90, that is, the arc of the slot.

When the valve is open the peripheral cutout portions 48 and 57 of the valve member and disc lie on the top wall 25 of the insert piece out to the inner edge of the track 36. Since there is no overhang above the edge of the track, the seat material is not scored or skived when the valve member is rotated.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of the invention. Here, the end wall of the valve body is not completely cut off as in FIGS. 2-5. Instead all or a portion thereof is left on the body leaving the original valve port 18 and the central opening for the bolt 29. It should be understood that in some cases a portion of the end wall of the valve body will have to be ground or cut away to satisfy a particular overall height requirement for the completed valve.

The insert piece 84 to be used with the conversion method described with respect to FIGS. 7-8 is of somewhat simpler construction than the insert piece 24. Since the remaining portion of the end wall of the original valve can be utilized as a seating surface, the arcuate slot for the washout can be formed directly in the bottom wall of the insert piece. This means that it is less expensive to make and can be produced, for example, by an investment casting process. As with the insert piece 24, a tapping port 34 and a central opening are formed in the insert piece 84.

The insert piece 84 can be fastened to the end wall of the body in one of several ways. First of all it can be attached by any suitable metal joining process, such as welding or soldering, on the outside of the valve body as shown, for example, at the fillet 26 on FIG. 2. The insert piece 84 also can be fastened to the end wall of the valve body by a suitable adhesive, such as an epoxy cement, which is placed on the end wall of the body and the lower facing surface of insert piece 84. Where an epoxy cement is used, the two pieces forming the converted valve body are clamped together and put into a drying unit to accelerate the curing and setting of the epoxy.

In utilizing the method of FIGS. 7-8, the mating surfaces of the valve end wall and the insert piece 84 must be finished to provide parallelism and a good fit. In addition, the port 34 of the insert piece must be properly aligned with the original port 18 in the valve body end wall. To facilitate this alignment a locating and holding pin 92 can be formed on the lower face of the insert piece and a complementary hole 94 formed in the end wall of the valve body. Where an adhesive is used, the mating pin and hole also provide a firmer grip by having adhesive placed therebetween.

The valve member 40 and seat used with the converted valve of FIGS. 7-8 is the same as that used for the valve of FIGS. 2-5.

It should be apparent that the present invention provides an economical way of converting valves without an extending portion on the valve member to one having such an extending portion and a washout passage. All that is required are the operations of cutting off the end of the old valve member, fastening the insert piece thereto and then attaching the valve member. It has been found that this can be done at a cost which is less than the cost of making a complete new valve.

It should be understood that other types of washout arrangements can be used, for example, those shown in the aforesaid Tonna Pat. 3,115,149 and in Pat. 3,279,493 to Zurit et a1. It is only necessary to modify the insert piece and valve member accordingly to obtain the same washout configuration and/ or valve seat holding arrangement. In the case of both of these patents, and also with the embodiment described herein, it is not always necessary to remove the entire end wall of the wall. Instead, only a portion can be sliced away leaving a reduced height section to which is attached the insert piece.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above it will be understood that these embodiment are illustrative only and the invention is to be limited solely by the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A method of converting a valve having a hollow metal body with an end wall and only one fluid flow port therein which port communicates with the hollow interior of the valve body, comprising the steps of forming a metal insert piece having the same general overall peripheral shape as the portion of the valve body adjacent said end wall and also forming said insert piece with a fluid flow port which extends through said insert piece and both of its faces and a washout passage which communicates with the upper face of the insert piece, fixedly fastening said insert piece to said valve body with the lower face of the insert piece facing the valve body and the port of said insert piece in fluid flow communication with the hollow interior of the valve body, and attaching a rotatable valve member with one face opposing the upper face of the insert piece and having an extending portion with an outlet which communicates with an inlet on said one face of the valve member so that when said valve member is rotated to a first position where its inlet is in communication with the port of the insert piece the valve is open and when the inlet is rotated to a second position where it is in communication with the washout passage the valve is closed.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of cutting away the end wall of the body to expose its hollow interior and before fastening the insert piece to the body.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the end wall of the body is left further comprising the step of aligning the port of the insert piece with the port of the end wall and fastening said insert piece to said end wall.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of forming mating aligning means on the opposing faces of said insert piece and said end wall for aligning the ports of the end wall and the insert piece.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the fastening is accomplished by providing adhesive between the opposing faces of the insert piece and the end wall.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the fastening is accomplished by providing adhesive between the opposing faces of the insert piece and the end wall.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the washout passage area is formed as a slot between the upper and lower faces of the insert piece and further comprising the step of providing a communicating hole between the upper face of the insert piece and said slot.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the washout passage area is formed on the lower face of the insert piece which faces the end wall of the valve body and further comprising the step of providing a communicating hole between the upper face of the insert piece and the washout passage area.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein the washout passage area is formed on the lower face of the insert piece which faces the end wall of the valve body and further comprising the step of providing a communicating hole between the upper face of the insert piece and the washout passage area.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of forming mating aligning means on the opposing faces of said insert piece and said end wall for aligning the ports of the end wall and the insert piece.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,992,654 7/1961 Doremus et al. 137323 3,115,149 12/1963 Tonna et al. 1317-323X 3,279,493 10/1966 Zurit et al 137-323 3,411,525 11/1968 Auger 137-625,46X 3,431,936 3/1969 Doremus et al. 137-323 3,476,138 11/1969 Doremus et al. 25 1-368X JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner V. A. DI PALMA, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 137-323 

